The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy maintains this blog to disseminate information relevant to astronomers who identify as women. If you have an idea for a blog post or topic, please submit to wia-blog at lists.aas.org.
The views expressed on this site are not necessarily the views of the CSWA, the AAS, its Board of Trustees, or its membership.

The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons learned from individuals on those paths.

Below is our interview with an astronomer turned tenure track faculty and project scientist at an observatory. If you have questions, suggestions, advice to share, etc. about this career path, please leave a comment below.

Back to top.2. What Can I do? Subscribe to AASWomenFrom: Joan Schmelz at womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

The CSWA publishes a weekly email newsletter called AASWOMEN which has over 1000 active subscribers. The editors are Michele Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, amp; Nicolle Zellner. A typical issue contains requests for information or advice, links to news items about women in science, announcements of honors and awards given to women in science, information about programs and meetings, and links to internship and job postings. Some of the topics covered

Back to top.3. Why Are There So Few Female Physics Faculty?From: Ed Bertschinger at womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

Analysis by the American Institute of Physics Statistical Research Center this summer by Susan White and Rachel Ivie questions whether the low percentage of women faculty in physics departments, and their absence from many departments, is evidence of a lack of equity for women. The authors point out that the main factor is the small percentage of women in physics overall. Given the small fraction of women overall, the argument goes, departments may be equitable in appointing women despite their small representation on the faculty.

In a later report on 'Women Among Physics amp; Astronomy Faculty,' the authors point out that in Physics, women are hired as assistant professors at rates well above their availability rate among doctoral recipients. In 2007, 18% of PhDs in physics were awarded to women. In 2010, 29% of newly hired assistant professors of physics were women (based on a survey with 93% response rate from departments). One possible conclusion is ...

Back to top.4. Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?From: Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]

In the October 3, 2013 issue of The New York Times Magazine, an article by Eileen Pollack discusses why there are still so few women in science and she tells us her own story. She cites lack of preparation at the secondary level, being the lone-female in a class, hiding insecurities, struggling with homework sets alone, lack of mentoring, among others. To read her story and her incites, please see

Back to top.5. Don't Be That Dude: Handy Tips for the Male AcademicFrom: Nancy Morrison [NMorris_at_utnet.utoledo.edu]

On the web site 'Tenure, She Wrote' and tweeted by Peter Edmonds(@peteredmonds), September 26, 2013:

' ... These initiatives are important, but here’s the thing: gender equality has to be a collaborative venture. If men make up the majority of many departments, editorial boards, search committees, labs and conferences, then men have to be allies in the broader cause of equality, simply because they have more boots on the ground. And, as much as I wish it weren’t so, guys often tend to listen more readily to their fellow guys when it comes to issues like sexism. I’ve also found that there are a lot of guys out there that are supportive, but don’t realize their everyday actions (big and small) that perpetuate inequality. So, guys, this post is for you.*'

The 'Women Rock Science' project along with Knowledge Observatory are seeking to create an interactive display of women in astronomy from all over the world. They seek stories and photos by female astronomers and planetary scientists to inspire young girls and boys to study astronomy. To read more about the project, please see

Back to top.7. 2014 Conferences for Undergraduate Women in PhysicsFrom: WIPHYS, September 30, 2013

Applications are being accepted for the 2014 APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). The deadline to apply is November 1. Learn more about the 2014 sites and the application procedure at: